When funnyman Will Ferrell joined “Saturday Night Live” in 1995, fan polls were often rating him among the worst “SNL” cast members ever. Needless to say, things turned around quickly for the esoteric comedian, and after a year or two he became one of the most beloved faces in the show’s long, distinguished history. Since his departure from the show in 2002, Ferrell has become one of the biggest movie stars in America, starring in a string of smash hit comedies that have put him in the top five highest paid actors in Hollywood.
Ferrell was born in the sprawling suburb of Irvine, California on July 16, 1967. He discovered his comedic talents while at University High School, disguising his voice for the school’s morning announcements. The future star went on to study sports broadcasting and telejournalism at the University of Southern California, and upon his 1989 graduation joined the famous improv troupe “The Groundlings”. Ferrell bounced around in a few minor film roles in the early 90s before earning a spot on “SNL” in 1995, which eventually earned him enormous popularity for his hilarious impersonations, including George W. Bush, “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek, Jesse Ventura, late sports announcer Harry Caray, and characters like Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan and clubgoer Steve Butabi, the latter of which became an “SNL” movie starring Ferrell and Chris Kattan, “A Night at the Roxbury”. During his successful “SNL” run, Ferrell also appeared in the first two “Austin Powers” movies, Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”, and several “SNL” films like the Molly Shannon-led “Superstar”.
Since 2001’s “Zoolander”, in which Ferrell portrayed fashion baddie Mugatu, Ferrell has been considered the unofficial leader of the ‘Frat Pack’, a group of goofy male comedians who consistently appear together, including Vince Vaughn, Owen and Luke Wilson, Jack Black, and Ben Stiller. All of Ferrell’s ‘Frat Pack’ films have been smash hits – “Old School”, “Starsky & Hutch”, “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”, and “Wedding Crashers”. His biggest hit to date came in 2003 with the Jon Favreau-directed “Elf”, in which Ferrell played an unusually large North Pole helper banished to New York City to discover his true roots. The goofy fantasy-comedy turned into a surprise mega-smash, grossing over $170 million domestically and cementing Ferrell as the new frontman for American film comedy. He has also appeared recently in Woody Allen’s “Melinda and Melinda”, “Kicking and Screaming”, alongside Nicole Kidman in 2005’s “Bewitched” remake, Adam Rapp’s indie drama “Winter Passing”, and the film version of “The Producers” musical.
Ferrell is currently on-screen making boatloads of cash for Sony with “Talladega Nights”, and can be seen later this year in the promising comedy “Stranger than Fiction” alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson.